Cochineal in broad use as a coloring agent, for example in pharmaceutical products and foods, is derived from the red coloring matter occurring in the female insect bodies of Coccus cacti L. which grows on Nopalea coccinellifera and other plants of the family Cactaceae cultivated in the desert areas of Mexico and Central and South America. As such, cochineal is harvested from said insect by extracting its dried bodies with water or alcohol.
It has been reported, of late, that being an insect-derived substance, cochineal contains allergenic impurity proteins and as such may be an etiologic factor in allergic diseases (Ann Allergy Asthma, Vol. 84(5), 549–552, 2000.).
Further, the use of cochineal colors produced by conventional methods poses problems that the types and applications of the products, and the usage concentration of the color are limited due to the odors probably attributable to the above raw material. Another problem is also pointed out that the conventional cochineal colors tend to form a sediment with time since they contain proteins and like contaminants derived from the above raw material.